Category: burger

BurGround is a 3-months-new restaurant that features burgers (duh), salads, healthy smoothies, not-so-healthy milkshakes, and some traditional and not-so-traditional sides that go hand in hand with the mains.

The space is large and airy, and you can tell that a lot of love and effort was put into it to ensure that it caters for both smaller and larger groups. On the day that we visited, the burger-eaters ranged from students, couples to large families.

Crazy Daisy – $7.00

We started things off with Crazy Daisy, said to be one of the owner’s favourite smoothie. It features mango, banana, yakult, yoghurt and coconut water. The sweetness of the mango was the highlight of the smoothie, and the interesting addition of yakult added some layers of flavour to the drink.

Cookies & Cream – $7.00

On the more indulgent side, nothings a beats a good-ol cookies and cream milkshake. BurGround definitely didn’t pull back on the use of Oreos, as its crumbs were present in every sip. The milkshake was not overly-sweet, and was worth every calorie if you’re a fan of anything cookies and cream.

Sweet Potato Chips – $4.50

The sweet potato chips were nice and crispy, in fact, it was probably one of the crispier renditions I have tried, giving us the first glimpse into the expertise BurGround had over the deep fryer.

Onion Rings – $5.00

The onion rings had a satisfyingly crunchy outer layer, that contrasted well with the sweetness of the onion. The only problem I had was the some of the larger pieces did not fit into the quaint little sauce ramekin, an issue that could be resolved by breaking the ring into pieces of course.

Skyrider – $14.00

Onto the main events – the burgers. The first thing you notice about the Skyrider would be the hot pink bun, made by including beetroot juice in the making of the brioche.

Skyrider – $14.00

The burger was more than its bun though, in this case, as it was stuffed with goodness, including beef patty, chorizo, tomato relish, sriracha mayo, cheddar and rocket – cause greens. Overall, this was a quite enjoyable burger, the beef patty was cooked well, and the chorizo and sriracha mayo added a kick to it. I did find the tomato relish a little overwhelming at times though, and less of it would have allowed the other flavours to come through better, and also help in retaining the integrity of the buns.

Merry-Go-Round – $14.00

Keen for something that is more out of the box? Then Merry-Go-Round might be a good pick. Stuffed full with three pieces of pork belly, pickled cabbage that was reminiscent of a cross between kimchi and sauerkraut, cheddar and wasabi mayo, this was definitely a winner.

Merry-Go-Round – $14.00

The pork belly was full of flavour, and the pickled cabbage did its job by cutting through the richness. More wasabi mayo would have been ideal in this case, as it would have provided a contrasting flavour. Some crackling definitely wouldn’t have hurt either, but then again, that might just be me being greedy.

Crispy Wings (3 pieces) – $8.00

You might think that that was the end of our meal, however I pretty much saw a plate of crispy wings at every other table, and couldn’t resist but to order a small plate to try myself, especially after being told that it was better than the wicked wings from KFC. The looks of these wings certainly resembled the KFC version, the batter gave crunchy a whole other meaning, and although not spiced as heavily as wicked wings, these were equally as morish, and the pickled cabbage again, lifted the whole dish a little.

With plenty of burger restaurants floating around Melbourne, BurGround certainly does its bit to hold up to the competition. There were something for everyone, whether you were after a traditional burger, something a little bit more creative, or God forbid, a salad, BurGround will be able to satisfy your cravings. The fried goods are equally hard to pass up, and there were talks about adding fried cheese to the menu in the near future, yup, you heard it here first. So next time, if you’re bored with Grill’d next door, why not give BurGround a shot?

How to get here:BurGround is located on Puckle Street in Moonee Ponds, a short three minutes walk from Moonee Ponds Station. There are also plenty of street parking on the strip, if you were planning to drive.

Another day, another post about burgers. I never thought I was that big a fan of burgers, but this year has just been full of surprises, the burger kind of surprises I mean.

Royal Stacks opened its doors earlier this year, and already had people raving, so when we needed a comfort meal to treat ourselves after a long week of uni, we decided to head down here for dinner.

Cheesy Fries (L) – $5.00

Forget about fancy entrees, I’d take cheesy fries over those any day. French fries are so hard to come by nowadays, with everywhere serving up the thicker chips or those flat chips that was made famous by Schnitz, but seriously, sometimes all I need in life is some crunchy af French fries. And the extra cheese on top never hurt anyone.

Single Stack – $8.90 w/ Mac and Cheese Croquette – $3.50

The menu at Royal Stacks was extremely simple, variations of beef burger as well as one vegetarian option, and I went for the classic single stack, with the addition of a mac and cheese croquette, ’cause sometimes you just gotta live a little. When the burger first arrived, I did think it was on the smaller end of things, however, as soon as I took my first bite, I knew we had a winner. The beef patty was thin and had a sort of crunch to it, the cheese was perfectly melted, and omg that mac and cheese croquette, seriously guys you need this on top of all burgers. The cheesiness was unreal, and the extra carb that came from the macaroni made this hell of a satisfying meal.

Potato Gems (L) – $6.20

Let’s not forget about the gems on the side. These crunchy little bites of potato was just so… potatoey, and that’s always a good thing in my book.

Peanut Butter Frozen Custard – $4.50

And since we’re already eating burgers and chips and all that, we might as well go all out and get dessert. With that in mind, I went for the peanut butter frozen custard. This is the first time I’ve tried frozen custard, and it was extreme smooth in texture, and also melted a bit quicker than regular ice cream. It actually kind of reminded me of nitrogen ice cream, when one scoop is seriously all you need.

I didn’t have really high expectations going into Royal Stacks, but I was blown away. It now has a spot on my top three burger places in Melbourne, and I can’t wait to return.

How to get there:
Royal Stacks is located on Collins Street, 10 minutes walk from Southern Cross station.

Melbournians are as crazy about burger as ever, with several foodies dedicating their entire feed on reviewing burgers. When visiting a friend in Surrey Hills, she suggested on visiting one of her local burger joints, Burger Burger, and I happily obliged.

Belmore Bacon – $14.00

I went for the slightly indulgent Belmore Bacon, and when the burgers arrived at the table, I was shocked to see how tall the burger was. The 150g wagyu pattie was definitely the star of the show, it was cooked perfectly despite its thickness, and was very satisfying to eat. The other elements, pickles, lettuce, cheese, grilled onions, and the Burger Burger sauce, worked well together, and I was rather impressed by the fact that the brioche bun maintained its shape, considering I squashed it down pretty hard in order to fit the burger into my mouth.

Fries – $5.50

The obligatory side order was fries was perfectly golden, and extremely crunchy, although we were so full from the burgers, we still managed to pick at the fries and finish the entire bowl.

Burger Burger only opened a year and a half ago, and is already very popular amongst the locals, with phone orders and takeaway bags running around the clock, and I can definitely see its appeal. In fact, it is probably one of the best burgers I’ve had to date.

How to get there:
Burger Burger is located on Union Road, a short five minutes walk from Surrey Hills station.

A good burger goes a long way, which is why my friend and I made our way to The Burger Block the other day for a little Friyay celebration.

If you’ve visited JD’s Burgers before, you might be a bit confused. The Burger Block is where JD’s Burgers used to be, and their menu share quite a few similarities, with the theme of Asian fusion throughout. After speaking to the owner, Brenda, we realised that it is in fact, a brother and sister mix! Brenda began running The Burger Block earlier this year, aiming for a homely cafe that serves up some kick ass burgers, while JD’s Burger has relocated to Surrey Hills, in preparation of possibly expanding.

Enough of a back story, let’s get onto the food!

Chocolate Milkshake – $5.00

It was a sunny day, so my friend went for the classic chocolate milkshake. Unlike the crazy milkshakes that’s taken over instagram over the last few months, this is a throwback milkshake from my childhood. Chocolatey without being overly rich, my friend happily slurped it up.

Chips (small meal) – $6.50 extra

I got my burger in a small meal, and the chips reminded me of the ones from Schnitz! Flat with some all-so-delicious seasoning, these were super crispy, and we had to fight for the few tiny ones because they were extra crunchy.

Red Lantern – $12.90 w/ extra Jalapeño – $1.00

The Red Lantern grabbed my attention with the promise of chilli mayo, and damn, that mayo sure packed a punch! I added some extra jalapeño to amp up the heat even more, and they were huge!

The burger was constructed well overall, with the cheese perfectly melted onto the patty, and the crisp lettuce and onion, as well as the acidity from the jalapeño cutting through the heaviness of the patty and bacon.

Special mention goes towards the patty, Brenda told us that it’s actually her mum’s recipe, and it’s definitely one of the juiciest patties I’ve had to date! The beef was not all grounded up evenly like your standard patty, there were chunks of beef in between, which added both taste and flavour.

Green Lantern – $12.90

The Green Lantern had the exact same ingredients as the Red Lantern, but instead of chilli mayo, it had something more unusual – wasabi mayo. Now if you’re unfamiliar with wasabi, it is typically eaten with sushi and sashimi in Japanese cuisine, it’s spicy, but not the normal kind of spicy, basically, you gotta give it a go to see whether it floats your boat. I love wasabi, and the flavour of the wasabi definitely came through, which I was really impressed about.

My experience at The Burger Block was lovely, the food was amazing, and through talking to Brenda, her ambition and devotion towards the cafe was very endearing. If you’re feeling like some burgers that experiences with different flavours, yet manage to have everything in harmony, then The Burger Block is somewhere you have to visit.

How to get there:Catch the bus #302 or #304 and get off at Peel St/Earl St, the restaurant is less than five minutes walk away.

How is it the second week of February already?! Was Christmas not just yesterday? In fact, wasn’t 2013 just like a month ago? Urgh, time flies. February has been hectic, to say the least. I have finally embarked on my law school journey! That’s for another post though, hopefully I’ll get one up towards the end of February! Unfortunately, all that studying means that I have been neglecting my blog, I full planned to schedule some posts during the holidays, but life happened instead.

Anyway, I haven’t really figured out how I’m going to balance everything just yet, but for now, let’s just talk about what you clicked into this post for, a review of burgers! Beatbox Kitchen has been on my to try list for years, however, being a food truck, it meant that they were pretty tricky to hunt down! For someone that relies purely on public transport that is. When I visited The Big Design Market a couple months ago however, an opportunity presented itself when I spotted the truck outside of the Royal Exhibition Building.

Chilli Billy Burger – $13.00

I went for the Chilly Billy Burger, because who doesn’t like a bit of hit? I was thoroughly impressed by its looks alone, just look at the perfectly melted cheese and tell me you’re not salivating already. The burger had everything a good burger needed, a juicy thick patty, cheese, crispy lettuce, pickles for the crunch, and jalapeño and the spicy chipotle sauce adding some heat. Oh and let’s not forget about the stereo sauce, I don’t know what the secret ingredients are, but it sure tasted amazing.

Unlike the fifty other brioche bun that’s floating around in the burger joints, Beatbox Kitchen uses a baker’s white bun, what it lacked in sweetness and softness, it made up with integrity and structure, holding all the ingredients that were squashed between the buns together at all times. And that’s no easy task, just look at how thick that 170g beef pattie is!

Beatbox Kitchen brings something new to the burger scene, in my world that is. It uses wholesome ingredients, and provides an excellent burger. I’ll keep an eye out whenever I’m at an event for their food truck, and hopefully next I can try out their fries too.

How to get there:Beatbox Kitchen has a few food trucks around town everyday, follow their Facebook page for more information.

Everyone’s pretty smitten with the newly renovated Eastland, and the Town Square is its main drawcard for me, with numerous new places and old favourites closer to home.

Huxtaburger was the first place I decided to try out, because, hello, burgers!

Huxtaburger – $9.50

My friend went for the classic Huxtaburger, and she loved the bun! It was nice and crunchy, and because it was a brioche, buttery and rich. The patty itself is on the smaller side of things, but was cooked very well. The accompanying sauce and salad stopped the burger from getting too rich, and all in all, it was a satisfying burger, but considerably smaller than most other places.

Denise – $12.50 in a Small Meal – $5.50

Feeling like something fiery, I went for the Denise, essentially the same as the Huxtaburger, but with the addition of jalapeño and sriracha mayo. There was a substantial amount of jalapeño, which gave the burger the heat that I was looking for, the sriracha mayo was also flavourful, however, the amount of sauce made the bun pretty much collapse on itself, making it rather messy to eat.

The chips were good, super crispy on the outside, and potatoey on the inside.

Clair – $14.00 in a Small Meal – $5.50

One of my friend felt like a chicken burger, which meant her only option was the Clair. Although the chicken looks quite dark, it’s actually perfectly fried, and the slaw did lighten up the burger a little. The jalapeño mayo however, was not particularly jalapeño-y. She did also think that $14 was a bit excessive for this burger.

Huxtaburger was one of the first to join the Melbourne burger scene, and it is where I, and many others, had our first gourmet burger experience. For that reason, it will forever have a special place in my heart, nonetheless, it is hard to ignore the noticeably smaller size of their burgers, along with the price tag.How to get there:Huxtaburger is located in Eastland’s Town Square, which is right opposite Ringwood Station.

I think everyone in the east side has been praying for some good burgers, I mean, you can only travel all the way to the city, or the other side of town so many times. And that prayer was finally answered when Yo My Goodness opened up in May this year, adding to the ever changing food scene on Kingsway.

What originated as another self serve frozen yoghurt bar has ventured out to become a host of burgers, fries and shakes just under two months ago, and seriously, I am so glad that they did!

Two Bit Lemon Tart – $7.50

There was a plethora of shake choices, and I went for a tart one because a chocolate based one would be over indulgent – yes, I was still being health conscious although we were at a burger joint LOL. The tartness of the lemon syrup definitely did compliment my meal, but it did become a bit cloying towards the end.

Winner Winner – $13.00

My friend and I both happened to be craving chicken burgers on the day, she went for the classic chicken schnitzel while I went for the Southern fried chicken. She loved hers because the chicken wasn’t dry, and there was plenty of sauce, she likes her burgers saucy 😉

The Bergerk – $12.00

My burger was probably on the mellow side of things, I forgot to ask for it without tomato, but that’s okay I just took it out yay, problem solved. The chicken had a nice herb batter and the chipotle mayo was quite punchy in flavour. The sesame studded brioche bun held its shape well, and the cardboard casing that the burgers came in made it really easy to eat! The name of this burger though, it was so hard for me to order without laughing LOL.

Fetta Fetish Fries – $7.00

One of my friend who visited YOMG before said that these fries were better than Jimmy Grants, so the bar was set pretty darn high. Did these fries deliver? I actually do have to agree my friend, there was plenty of feta, and the dukkah mix was tentalising too. The spring onions on top brought a hint of freshness to the fries. My friend didn’t enjoy these as much as I did though, because she found the feta too salty.

Who knew a frozen yoghurt bar could serve up some great burgers, shakes and (most importantly) fries too? Friendly service, bustling atmosphere, it pretty much ticks all the boxes for me. The only downside is that seating is quite limited, and there may be a wait if you go during peak times, that just means they gotta keep on expanding right?

How to get there:Yo My Goodness is located on Kingsway, 5 minutes walk from Glen Waverley Train Station.